I am a Free Biker

An End at the Chapter — I am a Free Biker

For three years, the Chapter was my heartbeat. It was a world of shared noise and collective miles. In that short, intense time, I found “friends for life”—deep, real bonds that transcend the machine. But the road has a way of stripping everything away until only the bone-deep truth remains.

Today, I am hanging up the colors. The spirit of the journey has changed.

The Anchor: Mady

Mady was the soul of my time in the Chapter. As our president, she was the steady pulse of the group. There was a profound, unspoken connection between us—a shared frequency that made every mile feel meaningful.

Her loss was devastating, and it’s something I still carry with me today. No one could ever replace her. After she passed away, I watched everyone do their absolute best to keep things going. I witnessed the effort and love they poured into honouring her legacy. But to me, the landscape was unrecognisable without her. The anchor was gone and the sea felt different. Even today, every ride I take reminds me of Mady. I feel her spirit in the wind at my back, and I no longer need the pack’s formation to sense her presence.

The Treachery: Nine Months of Silence

Although Mady’s loss wounded my heart, it was the dealer who finally broke my trust.

I bought a brand-new bike to symbolise my freedom. Instead, I was plunged into a nine-month nightmare of technical failure. For nine months, I didn’t just battle with the machine; I also fought to get help. And for nine months, the dealer — the people I trusted — simply let me down.

I was completely exhausted by the lack of professional honour. I cannot, and will not, honour a dealer that operates in this way. I had to walk away and find a new bike elsewhere to remind myself why I love the open road. When you can no longer respect the people behind the shop, you can no longer ride under their banner.

The Need for Stillness

In my daily life, I have a demanding practice. My days are busy, filled with responsibility and the needs of others. When I finally leave the office, I don’t want to take on more responsibilities or manage a broken system. I don’t want to fight for a solution; I want to be the solution.

I need the road to be a place of pure release, not another obligation. My Leica M10 captured wonderful memories of the tribe during those busy years. But my Leica M-A is the tool that will give me my freedom. It has been waiting for this moment of independence. It was waiting for the silence of the Kempen darkroom.

The Final Gate

Leaving the chapter isn’t about leaving my friends — those bonds are for life. It’s about reclaiming my time and my spirit. I am moving towards the raw honesty of film, where there are no glitches, no menus to scroll through and no unreliable dealers.

I carry the laughter of my friends and the eternal memory of Mady in my heart. But the journey I embark on now is my own. The pace I set is my own.

The engine is mine. The light is mine. The road is mine.

I am a free biker.

Thank you